


Stressed

by Grumpifyme



Category: Gamegrumps - Fandom
Genre: M/M, drug mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-13 03:39:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7961032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grumpifyme/pseuds/Grumpifyme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan doesn't want to fuck up at his new job. Arin doesn't know the new guy very well, but maybe he can help him out?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stressed

**Author's Note:**

> @legendofgrump 's Coldstone Creamery AU

Dan's hands trembled as he frantically tried to pull the little levers. Nothing happened. He cursed under his breath and glanced back at the waiting customer. They were patiently and politely pretending to not notice how long this was taking. He yanked on the lever again and this time it fell off. 

Fuck.

Dan faced the reality that he needed some help and turned towards the customer. A pretty girl about his age. With an apologetic look he said, "uh... The machine is kinda stupid, I.. It's broken. I'm sorry."

"Oh! That's okay!" She smiled.

"I'll uh.. Get someone to get it up and running, if you don't mind waiting..." Dan looked anywhere but her, rubbing his fingers anxiously together behind the counter. 

"I don't mind! I don't have anywhere to be, so you just take your time. No worries man." The pretty and super fricken cool girl shrugged with a content face and she sat down at one of the tiny tables near the front of the shop. Dan quickly scurried to the back, where Arin was filling up some small plastic tubs with various toppings. 

"Arin. I need your help. I fuckin' broke the machine..." Dan looked at Arin full of shame and then hung his head. 

"Oh, dude. Jeeze, it's alright. No need to cry about it." Arin let the toppings sit on the counter and he pushed through the employees only door back to the front counter. Dan followed and stood next to him, hands clenched together in anxiety. "Do you have the handle?" Arin held out his hand expectantly. 

"Uh.. Shit. Yeah." Dan looked on the floor and found the little lever, and promptly handed it to his colleague. 

Arin muttered, "This happens all the time. Stupid machine always breaks, we really need a new one. Im tired of fixin' this bullshit all the time." With a quick twist of a screw or two and a quick restart of the milkshake blender, it was working perfectly. Arin smiled and rubbed his hands together in victory. "There you go. You can use it now. Need anything else?"

"No... Thank you.." Dan didn't look at him and proceeded to fulfill the awaiting customer's order. He called out her order and she came up to the counter. She thanked him and left and that was that. Dan sighed heavily into the empty shop and watched the girl wistfully as she drove away. A sudden jab to his side made him wince and grunt. "Jesus, what the hell?"

He was met by Arin's smug mug eyeing him. "Well, well. Crushing on the customers is pretty unprofessional. That shit could get you fired."

Dan's cheeks blossomed a fire-engine-red. "What?! I wasn't even! That's not!- I wasn't crushing on anyone, I don't even know her! I'm not gonna get fired right? Cuz dude I REALLY need this job-" Dan panicked, "Shit man I can't get fired again, please don't say anything I'm begging you!-"

"Whoa, chill Dan. It was a joke. I was just kidding." Arin's eyes were wide at the unprecedented reaction. He'd always seen Dan as nervous, maybe even angsty, but Jesus, this was a new level. "And you can't get fired for something stupid like that. Hell, we all have crushes. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you panic there."

Dan's eyes felt hot and he cursed silently. He wasn't gonna do this here. Not in front of someone he barely even knew. Get it together, dumbass. You're at work. This guy doesn't know or care what your problem is. Even though he tried to talk himself down, he still felt stupid. The tingling wouldn't go anywhere, and now his throat felt tight. 

The silence made Arin's eyebrows furrow in worry. "Are you okay? I swear, it's totally okay bro. I shouldn't have teased you. It was a dick move, I know." Dan just wished Arin would stop looking at him. He twisted the bottom of his shirt between his fingers obsessively and tried to speak. It came out as a pathetic urk. He started to walk towards the bathroom, but that was past Arin. Arin grabbed his arm, something Dan hoped to God he wouldn't do. 

Shit. 

He felt the tears pool in his eyes and he tried to blink them away. Instead of leaving, one fell down his cheek. Et tu, brute? Dan dropped the hem of his shirt and pulled his arm out of Arin's grasp. 

"Fuck, you're crying? You're crying. Oh god. Dude I'm really sorry!"

Dan finally managed to speak. "It's not your fault, I'm just really fuckin', stressed out. Can you.. Can I get past?" A few more tears fell and Dan wiped at his face, angry with himself. Arin obliged, stepping past, eyes wide and trained on Dan like he was some kind of zoo exhibit. Against his will, a tiny shuddering breath and a small hic escaped his lungs. He tried hard not to make a scene, but all he wanted to do was sprint towards the bathroom. He settled for a quick jog. He groaned inwardly when he saw that two more customers had come into the shop without either of them knowing. They had probably heard almost everything. They were trying their hardest to act like they were looking anywhere but at him and Arin. 

Dan closed the bathroom door and locked it. He stayed in there until it was about time to end his shift. Which, thankfully, was only about 20 minutes. Someone knocked on the door about halfway through, but he thought it was Arin so he stayed silent. No one bothered him from then on. He let himself get the last of his waterworks out, and he allowed himself to breathe. He calmed down enough, wiped his face of any tearstains, let the redness dissipate, and finally opened the door. The lights were dim and the shop door was locked. It was darker out now. Arin was sweeping underneath the tables. 

Arin turned to look at him with relief. "You okay buddy?"

Buddy? 

"I'm fine. Is there any sidework left to do? I'll do it." Dan kept his voice monotone. 

"There's just some icecream scoopers to put away. Do you need a ride tonight?"

The question caught Dan off guard. "What?"

"I know you have that friend who picks you up. And I promise I'm not a creep, but you left your phone in the back and I saw the text on your lock screen, and they said they can't get you tonight." Arin tried to sound as "not-creepy" as possible. It didn't work very well, but what can you do?

"Damn it." Dan quickly went to the back to grab his phone. Sure enough, Mark wouldn't be picking him up tonight. Something about he had to go to some Biggest Loser meeting. Good for him, but tonight of all nights? Damn it, man. 

Dan came back to the front. "You don't have to give me a ride. It's fine. I can walk." 

"I'm not gonna let you walk on the highway, c'mon."

As much as he wanted to protest and just get the hell away from this guy, Dan sighed. He nodded in surrender and went to clean up the icecream scoopers and put them away. He finished before Arin finished sweeping the shop and he called out to him from the counter. "Hey, I'm gonna go sit out back for a second."

"Alright, I'll meet you out there." 

Dan stepped outside and finally felt fresh air take some of the anxiety off his shoulders. He sat down out behind the shop on the stairs. Pulling a joint from his jacket pocket, he lit it and pulled it quickly to his lips. 

There we go. Much better. 

After a few drags, and forgetting he was waiting for Arin, the sound of the back door opening behind him made him jump. He tried to hide the joint by putting his hand down by his leg, trying to hide it from Arin's view. He really really didn't want to stamp it out though. Arin looked at him, and the obvious smoke trail lingering in the air, and simply sat down beside him.

"I don't care if you smoke. I'm not gonna get you in trouble or something. I'm not an asshole." Arin shook his head at him, as if he were bewildered by Dan. Dan pulled the joint back up, but didn't let himself take the long slow drag he wanted. 

"You don't have to take me home. I don't wanna bring this shit in ur car and make it smell. And im gonna sit here for a while so, I know you probably don't wanna wait-"

"Stop tryin'a get rid of me, will you?"

"Huh?" Dan's eyebrows furrowed. 

"I don't mind waiting. I'm in no rush, man."

The half chilled out part of his brain wanted to point out that Arin said "Rush." Man, he loved Rush. Rush is so good. 

"Rush? I haven't heard much from them." Arin pulled off his work vest and replaced it with a frumpy red sweater. 

Did I say that out loud? Shit. 

"Uh, sorry I just kinda, word vomited. Anyway, I'm not trying to get rid of you. Its just been.. It's been a rough week." Dan shifted his weight. 

"Oh.. I'm sorry. I know how that goes."

"Oh yeah?" Dan decided to take another inhale off his joint and blew it out in a thin line up and away from Arin. 

"Yeah. And I know we aren't exactly best buds, but if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm all ears."

"Oh really." Bitterness hit his tongue like he had just taken a chunk out of a grapefruit. 

"I'm just sayin'... If you have no one else."

"I do."

"That's good. I'm glad. Cuz if you being stressed means you can't do your job, then you're gonna need someone to help you out."

Dan bit back a snarky comment for fear of losing his ride tonight. He stamped out his half smoked joint and put the remainder back into the pocket of his leather jacket. "Alright. We can go now."

Arin led them to his car, a red, beat up 1972 Chevy truck, and opened the passenger door. "Sorry, my car is kinda shitty. I have to slide in on this side." He slid in, pushing his large frame around until his settled into the drivers seat with a huff. Dan awkwardly settled in beside him, and the door squeaked in protest as he closed it. Dan told Arin his address, and the ride passed by with minimal small talk. When he got home, he curled up in his bed and passed out. What a weird ass day. 

That night, neither of them expected that three months later, Arin taking Danny home would be a regular occurrence. Neither expected to know so much about each other. Arin had no idea that he'd get to see Danny in a new light, to get to see Danny's face and have something in his gut twist and knot into something that felt like love. Dan didn't know he'd find someone so totally in sync with him, and be able to actually keep him. Dan didn't know that sitting out back on the steps after work, talking about life would become their routine. That night, both boys went home, slightly salted, and wondering what would happen the next day at work. Would they talk to each other? Who would start the conversation first? Could they even be friends after this? 

Three months time would tell. But it worked out. And Dan couldn't ask for anything better than his ice cream shop manager boyfriend and their late night escapades, sitting on the stairs, dripping stories from their tongues like water down stepping stones.


End file.
